Once attached to the T-cells, they reduce the chances of the cancer being able to shield itself from the immune system.

Lead scientist, Professor Stanley Riddell, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, US, said: "These are in patients that have failed everything. Most of the patients in our trial would be projected to have two to five months to live.

"This is extraordinary. This is unprecedented in medicine to be honest, to get response rates in this range in these very advanced patients."

Prof Riddell described the results as a "potential paradigm shift" in cancer treatment.

At the same time he acknowledged that much more work had to be done, and it was not clear how long the symptom-free patients would remain in remission.

So far, the technique has only been tried on patients with "liquid" blood cancers. Prof Riddell hopes to progress to patients with solid tumours, but points out that this will be challenging.

Although the immune system is geared to combat cancer, very often it fails in the task. Cancer cells are not recognised by the body's defences, or find ingenious ways to mask their identity.

In the most promising study, around 35 patients with ALL were treated with Cars-modified T-cells.

Almost all - 94% - experienced complete remission, meaning their symptoms disappeared. That is not the same as saying they were cured, because the symptoms could return.

More than 40 patients with lymphoma have also been treated.

Remission rates of more than 50% and response rates of more than 80% were seen in one group with non-Hodgkinson's lymphoma. Patients with chronic lymphocyte leukaemia showed similar results.

"We have a long ways to go," said Prof Riddell. "The response is not always durable, some of these patients do relapse, we are cognisant of that, but the early data is unprecedented."

In other research reported at the meeting, scientists made progress tracking T-cells with long memories as part of a new approach to combating cancer. Immune cells with long memories allow some vaccines to provide life-long protection against viruses or bacteria.

An Italian team led by Professor Chiara Bonini from the University of Milan, found a way to track T-cells with a memory of cancer for up to 14 years.